So often we find ourselves excited about the prospect of starting something new. Human nature requires that we break large task down to a manageable size with the tendency is to avoid being overwhelmed and limiting our success.
Let’s see if this applies to you? We’ve created a short questionnaire to assess how effectively you manage your time. Take a moment to answer the 18 questions below. Add up the points to see if you score 5 or higher, indicating how well you utilize your time. If you score 4 or below, you might review how you’re approaching projects. Be honest with yourself as this is meant to be helpful.

OK, Let’s GO:

1. Are you laser focused on the project without distractions? (+1 point)

2. Do you find yourself being distracted with other things instead of starting on the project? (-2 points)

3. You work hard but feel uncertain that you’re getting the right

information. (-2 points)

4. You work hard and feel good about what you’ve accomplished. (+1 point)

5. You have limited yourself to 3 projects and put all your effort into getting them finished successfully. (+1 point)

6. You have a lot of catching up to do and have 15 different projects to finish. By the end of the day nothing is done. (-2 points)

7. You take action to get the job done. (+1 point)

8. You talk about your actions, but never really get started. (-2 points)

9. You give 50% effort because you’re apprehensive about committing to the project. (-2 points)

10. You give 100% effort to the project. (+1 point)

11. You celebrate after the project is completed. (+1 point)

12. You celebrate before you begin the project. (-2 points)

13. You try to figure out a plan while you’re in the midst of

the project. (-2 points)

14. You have a clear plan before you start. (+1 point)

15. You are inconsistent in working on your project. (-2 points)

16. You are consistent and make good progress. (+1 point)

17. You have clear goals to accomplish. (+1 point)

18. Your goals are not clear or you haven’t set them up. (-2 points)

As an example, see if this situation or something similar has happened to you. How did you handle it?
 You’ve decided to assemble a desk or computer stand. The project comes with instructions and over 200 parts, some you have no clue what it is. If you find yourself with the objective to finish putting it together in an evening, make a plan. 1. Confirm you have the space, all the pieces and tools necessary to put it together and no distractions; 2. Carefully read the instructions to ensure it makes sense, 3. Carefully assemble the computer stand step-by-step as noted in the directions. If you begin to second guess yourself and decide you’ve never done anything like this before, you can easily talk yourself out of succeeding. Stay focused and see how much you can accomplish.
Statistically 32% give up – determining that they don’t know how to do the task. They often create “busy work” that derails their success.
Time management is a powerful tool that allows everyone to achieve success no matter how great or small the task.
Allow yourself to recognize the size of your project. If it is big, so may be the challenges that you meet along the way.
”We all have the same 24 hours in a day to get the job done” – Farshad Asl

Time Management

You hear people say “there aren’t enough hours in the day”. Managing your time is an art. It requires discipline and consistency. The main thing to remember is that we all have 24 hours in a day. Successful people like Bill Gates, Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln all had big goals to accomplish and all had the same 24 hours in a day.

Some people  accomplish more, some will accomplish less and some may never accomplish anything. If I ask you what you are going to do for the next 60 days, you probably will give me your plan. But if I ask what you would do in the next 60 days if this were your last 60 days of life, the answer would most likely be different.

The key to productive work and successful life management include:

“Sense of Urgency” – Treat each day like it will be the last to do what’s important. Act immediately – because procrastination kills momentum.
“Power of 3” – There is an amazing power in preparing yourself mentally, physically and emotionally. Remain laser focused, ready to take action and remain passionate in the belief you are doing something important to succeed.
“Prioritize” – Select 3 projects for the week or month, based on the size of the project
“Patience” – Don’t get ahead of yourself – anything worthwhile doing, takes time.
“Write Your Goals” – When you write your plan, project or goal down, it becomes real, actionable and measureable. You are committing to getting the project done.

“When it comes to productive work and the management you do everything with intent and purpose.” – Farshad Asl
Share your project with someone. Make yourself accountable and share what you are doing with others. Be aware of the uphill road, taking a look at every challenge as an opportunity. When the challenge seems larger, it’s probably because your project is larger.

Productive Work
 You are laser focused
 You work hard and feel good about it
 You have 3 projects and put all your energy into all three and finish them successfully
 You take action
 You give your 100%
 You Celebrate after the project is done
 You have a clear plan before you start
 You are consistent
 You have clear goals

Busy Work
 You are all over the place
 You work hard but you feel lost
 You have 15 different projects and by the end of the day nothing is done
 You only talk about your actions 
 You give 50%
 You celebrate before even starting and you never finish timely
 You try to figure out a plan while you start
 You are inconsistent
 Your goals are not clear

Lastly, get rid of your “To Do List” and start your “To Stop List”. When you change your habits, the world around you will change.

I am LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/farshadasl